The Cold Feather Guard, the elite fighting force of the Tianfeng Clan, was utterly paralyzed by terror. "Quickly, move!"

Liu He, a captain in the Cold Feather Guard, had been tasked with covering the rear. He had narrowly escaped death because he was still at the foot of the mountain when the Azure Luan unleashed its torrent of flame. Now, he was leading the few dozen surviving guards toward the Iron Sword Martial Saint. Just then— "The Wu, Dong, Tantai, Yan, and Xiahou families—your five armies had best withdraw now. Otherwise, do not blame me for showing no mercy." A deep, powerful voice echoed through the forest. Liu He, fleeing, looked up and felt a jolt in his heart as he spotted the man perched atop the monstrous bird.

Soon, Liu He and his subordinates rushed to the core of the army. "Sir, sir," Liu He hurried over.

The Iron Sword Martial Saint, the Grand Elder of the Dong family, Wu Baiwei, the Female Martial Saint, Yan Baishou, Xiahou An, and the Tantai family head—all gathered together—looked up at the man in the sky, speaking loudly from the back of the giant eagle. The expressions on their faces were grim. "Liu He?" The Iron Sword Martial Saint recognized the high-ranking officer of the Cold Feather Guard. "How many did we lose?" the Iron Sword Martial Saint asked immediately. The Cold Feather Guard was vital to the Tianfeng Clan. Liu He’s face twisted in agony. "Dead... too many are dead. Nearly everyone who charged in first perished. Many who leaped from the mountaintop died on impact. And many more are gravely wounded! Of the nearly nine hundred brothers we sent, fewer than a hundred survive. Sir... there was simply no way; it was too terrifying."

The Iron Sword Martial Saint’s face seemed encased in ice. "Kill!" "Kill! Kill!!!"

On the western front, where the slaughter was in full swing, few soldiers noticed the events unfolding on South Dwarf Mountain. As for Teng Qingshan's shout—the battlefield was too chaotic, and their ears were already ringing to the point of deafness. They could only vaguely hear something, but they paid it no mind.

The highest command echelon of the five families—seven individuals—convened here. "Cease fire!" the Iron Sword Martial Saint stated in a low voice. The other six turned their gaze toward him. "Just give up like that?" Yan Baishou clenched his fist, unwilling to yield. "That beast's fire attack must be finite; it probably can only last a short while!" "Brother Yan is right," Wu Baiwei urged anxiously. "After suffering such heavy casualties, are we to return empty-handed? And let the Duan and Fu families reap the massive rewards? Hmph. I refuse to believe one single beast can change the entire tide of the battle." "Cease the fighting," a low voice emanated from the Female Martial Saint. "The strongest Martial Saint, Teng Qingshan, never undertakes a task without assurance. Since he dares to act this way, he must have his foundation solid. We should wait and see what he has to say... and perhaps gauge the true strength of that Flame Divine Bird."

Throughout history, it was impossible for a single Innate Martial Saint to confront an entire army. As for a single monstrous beast fighting an army, such things had occurred—like the Six-Legged Saber Cicada over a thousand years ago! As for the Flame Divine Bird... very few people on the Duanmu Continent had ever witnessed one. ...

Teng Qingshan stood upon the back of the Gale Eagle, looking down upon the vast, seemingly endless approaching army. A force of over three hundred thousand troops—even if the Azure Luan burned continuously with fire... it would take a very, very long time. However, Teng Qingshan knew clearly that once the army's morale shattered, the entire structure would collapse! "Brother Teng, they are still attacking below," Li Jun turned to Teng Qingshan.

Clearly, the decision-makers below had not reached a consensus on halting the engagement. "Hmph!" Teng Qingshan watched as soldiers continued to fall below. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding visibly, and then unleashed a powerful gust of air through his throat: "Everyone, stop now!!!" This single roar actually caused the air in front of Teng Qingshan to vibrate and distort! "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!"... Sounds like claps of heavenly thunder reverberated between heaven and earth, exploding in the ears of every soldier. "Ah." "My ears."

Many soldiers immediately clutched their ears, their faces pale. Among the dense, endless ranks below, quite a few soldiers were knocked to the ground by Teng Qingshan's furious shout. With just this one sound, both armies involuntarily halted.

Teng Qingshan's body was the strongest mortal physique. Since reaching the late stage of Gang Jin, his internal organs and external form had reached the absolute zenith of perfection! The sheer power within Teng Qingshan's viscera was unimaginable, bolstered by the protective Gang Jin latent deep within his body. This single roar, had there been a massive boulder before him, would have pulverized it into dust! It was, quite literally, a sonic attack! Fortunately, Teng Qingshan had not specifically targeted anyone, yet even this diffused roar managed to shock the multitude of soldiers into submission.

At the command post of the five families. The seven leaders, including the Iron Sword Martial Saint, were startled by Teng Qingshan's roar. They exchanged glances. The Grand Elder of the Dong family managed a helpless laugh: "This Teng Qingshan—never mind having the Flame Divine Bird attack; this single roar has utterly crushed the morale of our soldiers." "That roar..." The Iron Sword Martial Saint looked up at Teng Qingshan on the eagle's back. "Even the roars generated by our Tianfeng Clan's Secret Manual of Wind Roar cannot compare to this single sound." Secret manuals that inflict damage through roaring exist, whether in the Nine Provinces or the Duanmu Continent! But for one person's shout to render hundreds of thousands of soldiers ashen-faced—that was simply incredible. This roar was undoubtedly louder than thunder. "Whether you wanted to stop or not, you have stopped now," the Iron Sword Martial Saint shook his head. "With that shout from Teng Qingshan, our soldiers' morale is completely gone. Without morale, there is no fighting this battle." War is fought over morale! When one side's soldiers are hesitant and terrified, how can they fight? ...

Just as the morale of the five families' side plummeted to its lowest point, the spirits of the Duan and Fu families' forces soared to their peak, their soldiers elated. They knew that the invincible-looking powerhouse high above on the eagle was on their side. "Mister Teng," a resonant voice came from the five families' side—it was the Iron Sword Martial Saint. "Helian, you still wish to fight?" Teng Qingshan, looking down from his high vantage point on the eagle, gazed at the Iron Sword Martial Saint among the distant troops. "Mister Teng, this Fire Flow Iron Vein is not something the Fu and Duan families can swallow whole," the Iron Sword Martial Saint's voice traveled over. "Even if you manage to mine it, the great families of the East Vast Region will certainly not stand by and watch you possess such a treasure afterward. At that time, you will inevitably become the target of universal resentment!" "As the saying goes, the tree that stands out gets battered by the wind. I suggest we settle this amicably today," the Iron Sword Martial Saint concluded. "Haha, Helian, you don't need to worry about that."

Teng Qingshan, on the eagle, swept his gaze over the few individuals standing beside the Iron Sword Martial Saint. "I don't object if any of you desire this Fire Flow Iron. It is a treasure, after all, and who wouldn't want it? But I advise you all: if you want the treasure, you must possess the strength to hold onto it. Otherwise..." Teng Qingshan glanced at Li Jun beside him.

Li Jun smiled faintly and immediately relayed instructions softly in the avian language to the Azure Luan. "Whoosh~~~"

The Azure Luan flapped its wings, and immediately, flames billowed out, perfectly blanketing the open ground between the two main encampments. The terrifying, scorching flames caused the front-line soldiers to recoil in fear toward the rear. Sizzle~~ Sizzle~~ An area nearly a hundred zhang long and several zhang wide was incinerated clean. The soldiers who had been fighting earlier hadn't witnessed the carnage on South Dwarf Mountain, but now they saw this horrifying spectacle. The thought of being caught in that sea of fire caused their faces to turn the color of earth. "We're finished. Being burned by this fire means certain death." "What kind of beast is that?" "I won't fight anymore, even if it means death. No more fighting." The surviving sliver of fighting spirit in those drenched, sweating front-line soldiers completely collapsed. They had joined the army merely to earn a living in these chaotic times. Even the elite troops like the Cold Feather Guard or the Divine Saber Guard could not be expected to charge into a towering inferno. Much less the ordinary soldiers. "I do not wish to kill today, but if you make another aggressive move, then I have no choice," Teng Qingshan said with a faint smile.

On the five families' side, seeing Teng Qingshan's casual smile, they seethed with suppressed rage. Make an aggressive move? If they ordered their troops to charge now, having seen the terrifying might of the Azure Luan's flames, the army would refuse to advance, even unto death. "Brother Helian, we..." Xiahou An looked at the Iron Sword Martial Saint. The others also fixed their hopes on the Tianfeng Clan! "There is no choice. Retreat," the Iron Sword Martial Saint said coldly and indifferently. ...

As the five families' armies withdrew, Teng Qingshan in the sky let out a relieved smile, and the armies of the Duan and Fu families in the middle section of the Fire Flow Iron Gorge erupted in cheers. "Invincible!" "Invincible!" "Invincible!"... The frenzied shouts echoed, countless soldiers gazing at the figure on the eagle's back, roaring with boiling blood. In that moment... those soldiers would engrave this scene deep into their hearts. They would likely speak of this day with pride to their descendants even when old—the day they fought under the banner of the Strongest Martial Saint! ...

The battle for the Fire Flow Iron Vein at Ox Head Mountain, after contention among various clans, concluded with the withdrawal of the other five families. Faced with the threat of Teng Qingshan and the Flame Divine Bird, coupled with the steadfast defense of nearly a hundred thousand troops from the Duan and Fu families, the other five could only sadly lead their armies away. They knew... When an army loses its morale, even one hundred thousand troops can hunt down and slaughter an army of over three hundred thousand! After all, warfare is not merely a comparison of numbers.

On North Dwarf Mountain, Teng Qingshan, Mu Yunji, Fu Dao, and Duan Shijin stood shoulder to shoulder, looking down at the great canyon. "This Fire Flow Iron Vein is ours," Mu Yunji pointed downward, radiating spirit, and laughed heartily. "To think that the other five families, even the Iron Sword Martial Saint, had to retreat unwillingly—it is truly satisfying." Duan Shijin smiled gently. "This time, we owe a great debt to Mister Teng." "On the western front, even without me, Yunji's 'Cloud Dream Guards' combined with the Duan family soldiers could have held the line," Teng Qingshan laughed. "Alright, enough talk of others. Let's hurry up and mine; the sooner we get the ore, the better."